NOVPUBChapter 724: Chapter 110: Remember to Save Me Chapter 724 -110: Remember to Save Me Although Aiwass couldn’t be certain whether the person who stole the experimental subject intended to harm the Pure White Saintess during the Pope’s promotion ceremony, or to what extent this matter was related to Cardinal Loki and Professor Moriarty…
He could at least be sure of one thing.
—That person harbored obvious malice toward the Pure White Saintess.
When Yanis became aware of this, she was visibly angered, “I’m going to find His Holiness the Pope— When did the Holy Nation become a place where scheming and deceitful people can run amok?”
Despite being under constant pressure by the Pure White Saintess and even being frightened into running around in panic, not daring to return home,
Yanis did not hide her anger and anxiety when she realized that Grey was truly in danger.
“I regret to say,”
Aiwass shook his head and replied, “These monsters only emerged after His Holiness the Pope fell into Sleep.”
“…Can’t he be awakened?”
“It’s the kind of Sleep that one cannot be awakened from.
Of course, you can also call it a coma.”
Aiwass glanced at those present and decided to speak bluntly, “His Holiness’s Treeification disease is getting worse.
I don’t know how much longer he can hold on.”
“Everything is happening at once…”
Yanis frowned deeply, “This is bad.
...
If the Pope is not present…
then I’m afraid the other Cardinals won’t take any action either.”
“If these events hadn’t all coincided, I suppose these people wouldn’t dare to make a move,”
Freya commented indistinctly from the side.
Sherlock agreed, “Exactly.
If these accidents hadn’t happened, then the current events would probably never have occurred.
I suspect the Eternal Theocracy has always been this way.
That is why it can be called…
‘Eternal.’ Heh.”
It was not because the interior was always peaceful and beautiful, but because any signs of chaos and trouble were directly extinguished at the outset.
And when trouble arose at the upper levels simultaneously, its problems were immediately exposed.
“The Holy Nation has more than twenty Cardinals, isn’t there anyone else who can take charge?”
Lily said instinctively.
“I’m afraid that’s not possible.”
Recalling the subsequent plot developments, Aiwass shook his head.
In Lily’s mind, she instinctively thought of the Holy Nation’s Cardinals as similar to Avalon’s ministers.
However, the Holy Nation did not have a monarchical political structure.
“It’s like this, Lily.
The Holy Nation does not have a clear and unified source of political power,”
Freya began to explain in terms that Lily could understand, “The Holy Nation is not where the Candle Master grants power to the Pope, who then manages the Holy Nation on his behalf.
The ultimate power of the Holy Nation comes from the Eternal Pope himself.
“Or rather, the power center of the Holy Nation are these Cardinals who are at the Fifth Power Level.
Each one manages a layer of ‘Diocese,’ responsible for different facilities within that Ring, and the Pope himself is also an Archbishop, thereby in charge of the twenty-second Ring.
“It is precisely because these Cardinal Archbishops are also Cardinal Archbishops of the Nine Pillars Divine Church and are obedient to the Pope within the church, that the Pope has the authority to rule over the Holy Nation.
“All of them are top Transcendents at the Fifth Level of the Path of Devotion, and the Pope is at the forefront of them all.
Just as the one who travels the farthest in the Dream Realm is the Pillar God, the Pope thus becomes the protector and leader of everyone.”
“But in essence, the Pope has never had full control over the entire Holy Nation.
The area directly under the Pope’s control is only the twenty-second Ring; the Pope’s own duties are merely to communicate with all the inhabitants of all the Rings and to supply energy to The Great Tree.”
“…Doesn’t that mean,” Lily’s eyes widened, “that the Holy Nation could ultimately even splinter because of this?”
“From a historical perspective,” Freya explained, “the Holy Nation has always been fragmented.
It is essentially equivalent to a union of twenty-two stacked city-states.
And since the establishment of the church, the rulers of these twenty-two federations just happen to be in the same organization.
Therefore, there is no hierarchical relationship among the Cardinal Archbishops, and no power can check and balance the other.”
“Ultimately,” Yanis replied softly, “we Elves are children of The Great Tree.
Although the Nine Pillars Divine Church now reveres the Candle Master, who is willing to protect the Holy Nation…
the ‘land’ of the Holy Nation actually belongs to The Great Tree.
After all, it is His remains, and He naturally has the right to dispose of it; as we are still using the legacy of The Great Tree, we naturally must respect the rules of The Great Tree.
“And as an Angel Envoy of the Candle Master, The Great Tree itself set the rule that only Contributors at the Fifth Power Level have the right to control a Ring, and each person can only control one Ring.”
“Why is it so?”
Upon hearing this, Aiwass suddenly understood why the Candle Master remained silent when the Holy Nation was splitting.
He pressed on, “Then why did it merge back together?”
“Because The Great Tree, although an Ancient God, is enlightened and gentle.
He hopes that the principles of the Path of Devotion are divergent, developmental, and innovative.”
Yanis sighed, “We have to start from the very beginning…
Your human history books likely don’t contain this knowledge.
It belongs to secret knowledge, from the stories before the second Sun set.
“At the birth of the elves, it wasn’t united.
At that time, elves were called ‘The Hundred Children of The Great Tree,’ and the Holy Nation was called ‘The Great Tree’s Many Nations’— not only was each layer independent, but many Rings hadn’t even given birth to a Fifth Power Level Contributor.
“Since the birth of the Nine Pillars Divine Church, the Holy Nation has finally unified after several internal wars.
But its original state was one of division…
therefore, if the Holy Nation splits again, it might actually please some of the rigid traditionalists.
“Take Cardinal Loki for example: so long as he doesn’t lose his Strength completely, it means he has not abandoned the Path of Devotion in his heart, and he retains control over this Ring.
Whatever actions he chooses to take, even ‘Controlled Flame,’ are his personal freedom.
Because he is the master of the ‘Controlled Flame’ denomination.”
Sherlock, who was by the side, understood.
The Holy Nation was actually an overarching denomination, with each Cardinal representing a faction.
The power of the Holy Nation did not belong to anyone and was based on seniority—and the qualification was judged solely by resonance with the Path.
If the Path itself acknowledged this idea, then even if no one else does, it merely represents “a niche Path of Devotion.”
From the perspective of The Great Tree, it would not wish for this possibility to disappear.
It hopes for competition and coexistence among the paths, to develop more possibilities, not stagnation!
“!Stagnation?”
Sherlock murmured, capturing a spark of inspiration.
If viewed from this angle, perhaps the current state of the Holy Nation is exactly what The Great Tree dislikes!
“When the Pope is in power, the path chosen by the Pope is considered the highest and the only correct direction of ‘the Path of Devotion.’
“But since all the Cardinal Archbishops are Transcendents of the Fifth Power Level, it means they inevitably have their own thoughts and stands.
Now that the Pope is in Silence, they too can interpret and preach the paths they follow! And from the beginning, this was something allowed by the Pope.”
Yanis said seriously, “Because from the start, it was impossible for the Holy Nation to ‘kill’ other thoughts.”
Aiwass understood too.
The reason why, in his memory, once the Pope fell into complete sleep and the Holy Nation utterly fractured, these Cardinal Archbishops all appeared fanatically eccentric! That’s because they were in an excited state, drawing people to their own paths and stands.
“There’s so much going on now, and so many clues.
It’s getting late! Time is pressing, we should split up for tomorrow’s investigation.
If no one objects, please let me take command for now.”
Aiwass calmly analyzed, “Lily, you and Freya go find Mr.
Oswald.”
“Oswald?
Which one!?
Oh!”
Freya was momentarily puzzled, then finally recalled the name with effort: “Is Mr.
Oswald also in the Holy Nation now!”
“Yes.”
Aiwass nodded.
He remembered that Oswald had been a member of the Papal Guard and might have a close relationship with the Pope.
Perhaps he knew some secrets.
And if Professor Moriarty returned, he was likely to get in touch with Oswald.
Having Lily and Freya, two people familiar with Oswald, to find him was more likely to yield useful information, and Oswald didn’t have much reason to hold back.
“Sherlock, please go find Mr.
Yunus first.
I can only entrust you with that matter for now.”
“You can count on me.”
Sherlock crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.
He replied calmly, confidence lacing his words.
As Isabel’s father, Yunus’ troubles must also be addressed.
He was aware of Yunus’ true identity—if others were sent, they might not take it seriously enough, but Sherlock would certainly protect Yunus well.
“What about us?”
Yanis inquired.
“Perfect timing, the Pure White Saintess will seek you out for a chat tomorrow.
You can discuss the current troubles with her as well.”
Aiwass mentioned, “Also, Master Yanis, you can ask her if she ‘still has Aiwass’ dates.’ If she says she does, introduce Freya to her and get some dates from her for research purposes.”
“Alright, I’ve got it.”
Yanis nodded, then asked in return, “What about you?
Where do you plan to go yourself?”
“I’m going to see Cardinal Loki alone.”
Aiwass spoke gravely, “Perhaps there are things he wouldn’t say in front of you all.
So I need to go alone.”
“That’s dangerous, Aiwass!”
Freya was the first to protest, “According to what you’ve said, Cardinal Loki could be the mastermind behind all this.”
Lily too looked at Aiwass with concern, though she did not voice any opposition.
“That’s exactly why I’m telling you this here.” 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓅𝓊𝓫.𝒸ℴ𝓶
Aiwass stated candidly, “If I do not return after a long while! remember to come save me.
“—I’m not the type to investigate alone and not tell others where I’m going.”
With that, Aiwass glared at Sherlock.
The Sherlock from the original timeline had disappeared for precisely that reason.
Sherlock tilted his head, puzzled, “Are you talking about me?”
“Let’s just say I am.”
Aiwass couldn’t be bothered to explain further.
